Wednesday, February 13, 2013

To take the life of another

In India, there had been only three executions in 15 years, so I never gave capital punishment much thought. But after two high-profile hangings in the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking of little else. And I am not sure where I stand.
Sure, some crimes deserve the ultimate punishment. But when people protest on the streets, demanding a death sentence, you wonder if it is justice they seek, or vengeance?
Yes, fear of death might be a deterrent to crime, but is life sentence not as bad?
Does we have the moral right to take the life of another?
______
A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

2 comments:

Diandra said...

Research suggests that the death penalty does not reduce crime. I do understand the subjective idea that some people deserve to die, but since there are few cases in which it is 100% clear who did it, the legal system should be extremely careful when considering the death penalty.

(I guess it was in LotR where someone said something along the lines of - if you cannot give life to those who deserve it, you should not be so quick to condemn someone to death.)

Anonymous said...

Natasha - It's such a difficult question. Does the death penalty set things right? It doesn't bring back a murder victim. And like you I always wonder whether those who seek it are looking for vengeance and that's not a good motive to take someone's life. I don't know that the death penalty serves a larger purpose very well.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails